Dahlia plant named ‘Gallery Serenade’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Dahlia  plant named ‘Gallery Serenade’, characterized by its compact and rounded plant habit; freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored leaves; early and freely flowering habit; decorative inflorescence form; large inflorescences with lemon yellow-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity and garden performance.

Botanical designation: Dahlia hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Gallery Serenade’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant, botanically known as Dahlia hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Gallery Serenade’.

The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lisse, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Dahlia cultivars with compact plant habit, freely branching growth habit, early and freely flowering habit, decorative inflorescence form, attractive ray floret coloration, and good postproduction longevity and garden performance.

The new Dahlia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor during 2000 of the Dahlia cultivar Melody Art Fair, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,356, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Dahlia as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Dahlia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Lisse, The Netherlands, during the summer of 2001. The selection of this plant was based on its unique ray floret coloration.

Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia cuttings was first conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands during the spring of 2002. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Dahlia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Gallery Serenade has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Gallery Serenade’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Gallery Serenade’ as a new and distinct Dahlia cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact and rounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Early and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Decorative inflorescence form with numerous ray florets per         inflorescence.     -   6. Large inflorescences with lemon yellow-colored ray florets.     -   7. Good postproduction longevity and garden performance.

Plants of the new Dahlia differ primarily from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Melody Art Fair, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Dahlia are taller than plants of the         cultivar Melody Art Fair.     -   2. Plants of the new Dahlia are not as freely flowering as         plants of the cultivar Melody Art Fair.     -   3. Plants of the new Dahlia and the cultivar Melody Art Fair         differ in ray floret color as plants of the cultivar Melody Art         Fair have white-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Dahlia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Suzette, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia differed from plants of the cultivar Suzette in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Dahlia were stronger and sturdier than         plants of the cultivar Suzette.     -   2. Plants of the new Dahlia had taller inflorescences than         plants of the cultivar Suzette.     -   3. Plants of the new Dahlia had fewer inflorescences than plants         of the cultivar Suzette.

Plants of the new Dahlia can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Melody Latin, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,212. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia differed from plants of the cultivar Melody Latin in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Dahlia were shorter but broader than plants         of the cultivar Melody Latin.     -   2. Plants of the new Dahlia had darker green-colored leaves than         plants of the cultivar Melody Latin.     -   3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Dahlia had longer         postproduction longevity than inflorescences of plants of the         cultivar Melody Latin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Dahlia showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Dahlia.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Gallery Serenade’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Gallery Serenade’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs and the following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the summer and early autumn in Lisse, The Netherlands, in an outdoor nursery and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged between 15 and 30° C. and night temperatures ranged between 10 and 20° C. Plants were pinched one time about three to four weeks after planting rooted cuttings. Plants were about four months old when the photographs and the description were taken.

-   Botanical classification: Dahlia hybrida cultivar Gallery Serenade. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Dahlia hybrida Melody Art Fair,             disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,356.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Dahlia             hybrida, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Summer and winter: About 5 days at             17° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—Summer: About 14 days             at 17° C. Winter: About 17 days at 17° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched; older             roots, fleshy.         -   Tuber description.—Shape: Fusiform. Clump diameter: About             25 cm. Color: Close to 199C. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type potted Dahlia. Compact             and rounded plant habit; upright and somewhat outwardly             spreading. Freely branching habit, about seven basal             branches each with about four lateral branches develop after             pinching; dense and full plants. Moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height.—About 55 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 40 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 45 cm. Diameter:             At the base, about 9 mm. Internode length: About 1.4 to             4 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Glabrous, smooth. Color:             145A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Leaves opposite; leaves             may be single or compound with three or five leaflets.             Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Serrate; sinuses divergent. Length: Single leaves: About             6 cm. Compound leaves with three leaflets: About 27 cm.             Compound leaves with five leaflets: About 13 cm. Width:             Single leaves: About 2 to 3 cm. Compound leaves with three             leaflets: About 10 cm. Compound leaves with five leaflets:             About 11 cm. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Developing foliage,             upper surface: 138A. Developing foliage, lower surface:             191A. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 139A. Fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: 191A. Venation, upper             surface: 145A. Venation, lower surface: 146A. Petiole             length: About 1 to 7 cm. Petiole diameter: About 1.5 to             3 mm. Petiole color, upper surface: 137A. Petiole color,             lower surface: 146A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative inflorescence form; inflorescences             almost spherical in profile. Inflorescences borne on             terminals, arising from leaf axils, positioned just above             the foliage. Ray and disc florets develop acropetally on the             receptacle. Inflorescences not fragrant. Inflorescences             persistent.         -   Flowering response.—Flowering recurrent to continuous during             the summer and autumn in The Netherlands. Plants start             flowering about 70 days after planting.         -   Postproduction longevity.—On the plant, inflorescences             maintain good color and substance for about 30 days in an             outdoor environment. As cut flowers, inflorescences maintain             good color and substance for about six days in an indoor             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences per flowering stem.—About three             open inflorescences and about three inflorescence buds per             flowering stem; about 21 inflorescences and inflorescence             buds per plant.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 11 cm. Depth (height):             About 8 cm. Diameter of disc: About 1 cm. Receptacle             diameter: About 1 cm. Receptacle height: About 2 cm.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Length: About 1.1 cm. Diameter: About             2.1 cm. Shape: Oblate. Color: 151A.         -   Ray florets.—Length, fully developed: About 5.2 cm. Width,             fully developed: About 1.8 cm. Orientation: Initially             upright, outer florets perpendicular to the peduncle to             somewhat reflexed. Shape: Ovate to lanceolate. Aspect:             Longitudinal axis concave; apex weakly recurved. Apex:             Acute, rounded or emarginate. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             satiny. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: Numerous,             about 168 arranged in about 21 rows. Venation pattern:             Parallel. Color: When opening, upper surface: 4B; towards             the base, 1A. When opening, lower surface: 4C. Fully opened,             upper surface: 4B; towards the base, 4A. Fully opened, lower             surface: 4D; longitudinal ribs, 4B.         -   Disc florets.—Number of disc florets per inflorescence:             About 42. Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed.             Base: Fused. Length: About 1.3 cm. Width, apex: About             1.3 cm. Width, base: About 0.2 mm. Color: Immature: 150C.             Mature: Apex: 21A. Mid-section: 17A. Base: 150C.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity: One whorl with about nine phyllaries.             Shape: Roughly ovate. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate.             Margin: Entire. Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About 5 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: 138B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 14 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Angle:             Erect. Strength: Strong. Texture: Glabrous, smooth. Color:             Slightly lighter than 151A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Stamen quantity: About five per floret. Anther shape:             Linear. Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: 17B. Pollen             amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 22A. Gynoecium: Present on             both ray and disc florets. Pistil quantity: One per floret.             Pistil length: About 3 mm. Stigma shape: Lanceolate. Stigma             color: 13B. Style length: About 3 mm. Style color: 150C.             Ovary color: 9C.         -   Seed.—Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Color:             Close to 177A. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Dahlias has not been observed on plants grown under commercial     greenhouse or outdoor conditions. -   Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Dahlia have been observed to be     very tolerant to wind, rain and full sun conditions. Plants of the     new Dahlia have been observed to tolerate temperatures from 0 to 40°     C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant named ‘Gallery Serenade’, as illustrated and described. 